


The Future You Gave Us

by SorakuFett



Series: A Normal Life [10]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Babies, Brotherly Love, Childbirth, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Flashbacks, Happy, Loving Marriage, Marriage, Nerdiness, Nervousness, Older Woman/Younger Man, Post-Canon, Reminiscing, Team as Family, Waiting Rooms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-25 18:13:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15646215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SorakuFett/pseuds/SorakuFett
Summary: Several years following the exploits of the Phantom Thieves, Yusuke and Futaba Kitagawa expect their first child. Their friends and family stand by them as they take this wondrous step together in their lives.





	The Future You Gave Us

**Author's Note:**

> This one took far longer to write, mostly because this is not an easy-to-approach subject. I wanted to make sure I did the idea of childbirth as much a service as I could, without being either too detailed or too lax. I can only hope I struck a balance that does not upset too many people.

Yusuke inhaled, taking in the scent of the coffee.

It paled and whimpered next to Akira's or his father-in-law's, but it did the job it was made for. 

Futaba was still in what all of their research and talks with their doctor had told them was the first stage, said to be the longest. As the two would find out, that was no understatement. They must have been there for at least 10 hours at this point, having been woken up in the middle of the night by Futaba feeling extremely uncomfortable, a sign that told them she was probably going into labor. Some quick calls to their doctor, as well as Sojiro and Akira later, they arrived at the hospital. Yusuke noticed the familiar face of Sojiro behind the door's window, and quickly downed his coffee.

"Is she doing well?" the artist asked his father-in-law, a look of alert concern in his tired eyes.

"Go see for yourself," Sojiro replied, yawning as he spoke. "Futaba sure knows how to pick a bad time for these sorts of things..." Yusuke raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant. Sojiro simply laughed. "Well, of course I'm happy, I'm about to be a grandpa thanks to you two, but... I  _was_ sleeping when you called, Yusuke. She does say she feels like it could happen soon, so she wants you back in there."

"I do apologize. But these things happen on their own time. Speaking of calls, however, Akira said that he and Sadayo should be arriving soo-" Yusuke cut himself off when he saw who was walking through the door.

Akira stepped in, wearing a simple white v-neck shirt and jeans. His vanity glasses were notably absent. Sadayo wore a white sweater with thin yellow stripes and some khakis. They looked ever so slightly less tired than Sojiro and Yusuke. The four greeted and hugged one another.

"So how's our little navigator holding up?" Akira asked Yusuke. 

Yusuke simply replied, "I was about to check myself. Boss and I have been taking turns, although this time, I believe I am awake enough to stay with her if things proceed forward."

"Well then, I guess you better get in there!" Akira responded. With a bow and a smile, Yusuke left to tend to his laboring wife.

 

Akira went to grab some coffee for himself, making a disappointed noise at the sight of the generic brand coffee. With a sigh, he started pouring himself a hot cup of plain, boring hospital coffee. Sadayo giggled at his exasperation. Putting what appeared to be the last of the sugar in, he stirred the cup and sat down next to his wife. He took a sip, looking more like he was judging the flavor as opposed to trying to wake himself up.

"I do hope you two are taking notes," Sojiro joked. The two looked at him, their eyes widening when they realized what he meant. Sojiro chuckled as Akira and Sadayo looked at each other.

They had of course talked about having kids multiple times, but felt like they were in no rush. But now, with Yusuke and Futaba having a baby, the spotlight was on them once again as the next big couple of their group. Ryuji and Makoto had only started dating a few months ago, after a lot of pushing from the others over their clear attraction. And while Ann and Shiho were engaged, they were still just starting to organize and plan out everything, admittedly nowhere near finished with any of their preparations. 

They started discussing all of these things while Sojiro simply laughed quietly.

 

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Yusuke stepped inside, politely excusing himself as he almost bumped into one of the nurses. He sees Futaba and smiles. She smiles back, despite the discomfort.

"Hello, handsome," she says to him, voice somewhat weak.

"How are you holding up, my sweet?" Yusuke asks, sitting down beside her and taking her hand into his.

"Well... it's not fun, but I'm damn sure our new little party member will be worth it. So that little thought is keeping me going."

"Your father told me you felt things would be coming along soon?"

"Yeah. The contractions feel like they've been getting a little more frequent... The doc seemed to think so, too."

The two sat and talked for a bit. Yusuke told her that Akira and Sadayo had arrived, and that they would call the others once morning actually arrived. Futaba warmed up at the thought of their odd little family being witness to the new life she and Yusuke would bring into this world. Just then, Yusuke felt Futaba squeeze his hand a little. Her thumb instinctively twitched, as though she were trying to mash a button on a controller.

"Ooooooh, I felt the shit outta that one..." Futaba groaned. "How the hell does everyone else stand this? Every time you catch your breath, it happens again..."

Yusuke felt a slight amount of sorrow at his inability to ease her pain. He brought her hand to his mouth, placing a sweet kiss upon it. "You and I have been through far worse, Futaba. You are more than strong enough to work through this, even if it pains me to see you forced to do so..." He looked away solemnly as he spoke. It clearly bothered him, how little he could do to help her now. But he had no idea how much simply being with her helped already.

"Yusuke," she spoke sweetly, grabbing his attention. He loved hearing his name on her voice. He looked into her eyes, the two of them thinking back to how they ended up in this happy place.

 

Back during their time as Phantom Thieves, Yusuke and Futaba never got along. From the moment he messed with her Featherman figures, the two butted heads at every opportunity. The diminutive nickname of "Inari" that she pegged him with bothered him for the longest time. But after Christmas, things began changing.

With Akira having turned himself in to the police to protect the others and solidify the case against Shido, everyone who cared about him scrambled and banded together to help out. Naturally, as time passed, Yusuke and Futaba found themselves slowly warming up to each other. The nickname Inari sounded less and less harsh as time went on, and while they would still argue, their arguments were softer and shorter. Over time, they even began finding common interests.

At some point in January, they were having some conversation about manga when suddenly, Futaba called him "Yusuke" rather than "Inari." He almost didn't notice it, but once he registered what she had said, he immediately questioned her on it. They had an argument about it, but Futaba seemed far more flustered than usual, storming off rather than simply cooling down. He went after her and spoke to her about it.

As it turned out, the only other time before this when she had called him by his name was when they were being erased by the Yaldabaoth. When he brought it up to her, her train of thought brought those horrid memories back to her conscious mind. Yusuke did not know how to apologize except to hug her as she began to cry, initially startling her. However, she soon relaxed in his arms, finding a comfort there similar to Akira and her father, but not quite the same.

Following Akira's release and welcoming back party, Yusuke approached Futaba and asked her if she would like to accompany him for some shopping. The two wound up spending the day at various stores, ending up doing more shopping for her than him, but somehow, he didn't mind. Seeing her happy (and not making jokes at his expense) made him smile, as well as stirring feelings he hadn't quite felt before. Amusingly, this impromptu date, not that either of them called it that, ended up going quite well, Futaba even taking a picture to mark the occasion.

 

For the next month, they started hanging out more and more, sharing their interests and generally opening up more. This development did not go unnoticed by the other ex-Thieves, but the two of them seemed to notice far less. Futaba and Yusuke seemed to benefit from each other's presence. Futaba was more open and relaxed with Yusuke around. Yusuke seemed more focused and receptive with Futaba near. 

Eventually, Akira and the others arranged to set them up on a date. However, thanks to Ryuji's loud mouth, Sojiro eventually discovered this plan. A little before Akira left for home, however, he talked with Sojiro, pointing out to him how Futaba seemed different since hanging out with Yusuke. Different than how she was with the others, with Akira himself or with Sojiro. The former ladies' man had to concede that his daughter was falling in love, even if she didn't know it herself. 

Over the next year, the two found themselves questioning what these new feelings were. Neither of them had been in love before. Futaba had once briefly thought she was in love with Akira, but those feelings were nothing compared to how Yusuke made her feel. Akira made her feel safe, but Yusuke made her feel strong. Akira helped her with her promise lists, but Yusuke gave her new ideas for new promises. She remembered calling Akira before he came back in the summer. She knew of his relationship with Sadayo and wanted to ask him how he knew when he was in love with her.

"I guess I figured it out when I realized that I didn't want her to leave. That I wanted to show her that I cared about her more than as a friend or, in our case, as her student. Why do you ask?" he asked her, already knowing what she was going to say, but wanting to hear her figure it out herself.

"I think... I think I... care about Yusuke. M-more than as a friend. Whenever he leaves after we hang out, I don't want him to go, but I never say anything. Sometimes he stops, and I think... I think he wants to stay too... But he doesn't. What do I do? Do I ask him not to go? Do I tell him about these feelings? What if he doesn't-"

Akira cut her off before she went on a tangent and ended up discouraging herself. "Futaba. Listen to me. You're never going to know if you don't say something. And I have a distinct feeling it will go better than you think. Just trust me on this. Better yet, add this to your promise list. 'Talk to Yusuke about your feelings.' Does that sound doable?"

The next day, she had confessed her feelings to him. As it turned out, he had meant to confess his feelings for her as well. The two came to a startling, but somehow comforting realization; they were in love with each other.

 

Things sped up a little after that. Futaba going back to school gave her life a much-needed sense of organization, and she made sure to fit spending time with Inari- no... with _Yusuke_ into that schedule. She found herself thinking of him in random moments. His voice, his smile, his pretty face. Yusuke found himself thinking of her as well. Her beautiful hair, her bright eyes, the way she laughed. It served as a wonderful inspiration for his art, as well as for his life in general.

On a particularly hot day in July, the two went out for a date to beach, just the two of them. They stood knee deep in the ocean water, letting the sea breeze cool them off. Yusuke remembered how she shined in the beautiful summer sun, how he thought the moment was picture perfect. He took off her glasses and looked deep into her eyes. The kiss that followed was positively electric, Futaba pressing her body against his, Yusuke holding her close in his arms.

They remembered the first time they made love. How Futaba seemed to hunger for Yusuke's touch. How he savored every second of being one with her. How sweet her kisses tasted and how warm she felt, curled up in his arms as they fell asleep.

Following high school, she got a part-time job doing programming work for her college. Meanwhile, Yusuke continued pursuing his art career, his beautiful tangerine-haired muse by his side. 

After Haru and Akira's new restaurant took off, Yusuke proposed to Futaba over a romantic dinner. At her request, their wedding was a beautiful old Shinto-style affair, with everyone turning their heads at the one time they would see Futaba without her hair dye. They spent their honeymoon traveling all over Japan, enjoying everything they could find.

When they got back, they settled into a big studio apartment together. On their first anniversary, Futaba revealed to Yusuke she was pregnant. The two of them couldn't be happier than in that moment. The next months were a blur of parties, hospital visits, discussions with experts and spending evenings cuddled up warmly in bed. All of that leading up to a suddenly extremely uncomfortable Futaba waking up the two in the middle of the night. 

 

Just then, she began clenching Yusuke's hand again, stirring him out of his thoughts. Yusuke's eyes shot open as he began realizing what could be happening.  _Was this it? Was it happening?_ In her pain, Futaba looked to him. Behind the strain, he could see something else in her eyes.

"H-Holy shit! It's... It's...!"

Futaba couldn't speak anymore, but they both knew it. Futaba felt an intense pain, like nothing she had felt before. Yusuke reached for the call button, struggling to contain his emotions. The pain his wife was in hurt him, but they both knew just what- no, just  _who_  was causing this pain. Somewhere in the back of Yusuke's mind, he tried to remember they name they had decided on, but when their doctor and her nurses came into the room, that thought quickly vacated his mind. 

The doctor checked on Futaba and the baby, assessing its position as well as her condition. She spoke to her nurses briefly. Then she turned to the two expecting parents, smiling and nodding in the affirmative to their unspoken question. Yusuke smiled wide, before Futaba clenched his hand tighter. He took her hand in his and sat down next to her, the two awaiting the doctor's instructions.

 

After what seemed like an eternity spent pushing and stopping as per the doctor's orders, the intense mood was suddenly broken by a sound everyone had been waiting to hear. With one final command to push, Futaba looked down and saw what she and Yusuke had waited nine months to see. Their eyes lit up when they saw him, crying at the sudden sensation of being thrust into the world. Yusuke wanted to hold him right away, but knew that he had to wait for the doctors to do their job.

They snipped the cord that physically tied him to Futaba before cleaning him with a towel. Then, they examined him carefully, making sure there were no apparent physical problems with him, before wrapping him up neatly in a clean blanket after he began calming down. Yusuke stood from his seat as the doctor approached with the baby. With  _his_ baby.  _Their_ baby. 

"Congratulations, you two. You've got yourselves a baby boy there," she said warmly, handing the baby to Yusuke. The moment his eyes met the baby's he felt a connection. The baby looked back at him with his eyes, which Yusuke noticed seemed to resemble Futaba's, he smiled and cooed. Yusuke didn't remotely attempt to hold back his tears of joy. He sat down next to Futaba, gesturing the baby boy to see his mother, prompting another smile and more happy tears from Futaba and Yusuke.

Futaba reached out to hold him as Yusuke handed him to her gently. Yusuke leaned in closely to Futaba, patting her head and kissing her on the top of her head. She nuzzled into his cheek as they stared at their beautiful baby boy, awestruck at the very sight of him. The doctor exited the room, letting her experienced nurses to handle everything else. The two simply sat there for a while, watching as the baby observed everything around him with innocent curiosity.

"We did it," Futaba finally said, breaking the silence. She turned to Yusuke, smiling with tears in her eyes. 

"We certainly did," Yusuke replied. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

Just then, Sojiro, Akira and Sadayo quietly entered the room, led by the doctor, their eyes all lighting up at the sight of the baby in Futaba's arms. They were guided around to the other side of the bed, getting a closer look at the baby, who had fallen asleep in the few hours since his birth. 

"Now will ya look at that," Sojiro said, taking off his glasses to wipe his eyes. The baby already seemed to have a few of Futaba's features, like her nose and ears. "Now that's gotta be one of the cutest babies I've ever seen... I guess this means I'll have to get used to being called 'Grandpa,' now."

"Well, don't worry, you're still Boss to the rest of us," Akira spoke up. He turned his attention to the baby. The last baby he saw up close was his older sister Reina's, and that was easily a few years ago. Sadayo had seen all her coworker's kids at various points, as well, but they, too, had been a few years ago. 

"So adorable... You two must be over the moon right now!" Sadayo said.

"You could say that, yes," Yusuke replied, chuckling.

"So what kinda name do you two have picked out?" Akira asked, looking to his dear friends.

"Well," Futaba started, looking to Yusuke, who looked back and smiled. "We spent a while thinking about that. A baby's name has to matter, you know? This isn't something you can just go back and change later, like an MMO."

"We realized that, to be perfectly honest, none of us would be here without you, Akira," Yusuke continued. "Futaba would be wasting away, I would still be living under the very man who..."

Yusuke shook the dark thought from his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the tragedies of their past. He took a breath and continued.

"We've chosen to name him... Mirai. Mirai Kitagawa."

Akira's eyes widened slightly. Mirai.  _Future._  

Futaba elaborated. "You did more than just save us, you know. You gave us back our future. So we decided to honor the future you gave us, because without that... well... you know. So... thank you, Akira. For giving us the chance to get to this point."

Akira looked at the baby, sleeping soundly in his mother's arms. Mirai Kitagawa. Named for "the future he gave them." The sentiment brought tears to his steely eyes. "You two... you sure know how to pick a hell of a name..."

The others just chuckled and giggled, Sadayo holding Akira closer. 

"Well, don't worry. Mirai's gonna know all about Uncle Akira and Auntie Sadayo when he wakes up!" Futaba quietly cheered. "And Grandpa Sojiro and all the others, of course."

They all sat there for a moment, before Akira's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, noticing that it was his alarm going off. 

"Well, I guess we're supposed to wake up now," Sadayo joked.

"Which means we need to head back home and get to bed so we don't miss the  _next_ alarm," Akira said sarcastically.

"That reminds me, you guys are gonna be here for a while," Sojiro noted to his daughter and her husband. "You two need me to bring you anything?" 

Yusuke suddenly remembered he forgot his little 'hospital sleepover kit,' as Futaba jokingly called it, at home. "Um... yes. There's a red bag at home in the living room. I meant to bring it with us, but in our haste to get to the hospital, I foolishly forgot it. Could you please retrieve that?"

"Sure thing," Sojiro replied. "Be back in a few."

"And we will be back once we've had our sleep," Akira joked. He, Sadayo and Sojiro turned to leave, when Akira suddenly stopped. "Oh wait! Of course! I gotta send a picture to the others!"

Akira pulled out his phone, opening the camera. Holding it sideways, he pointed it at Yusuke, Futaba and Mirai. 

Even considering the sleep deprivation, they couldn't have been happier.


End file.
